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Detroit Lions not waiting for the injured cavalry to return

By Steven Mullenax

SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 5: wide receiver Golden Tate #15 of the Detroit Lions sits on the bench late in the second half of a football game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 5, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won the game 13-10. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 5: wide receiver Golden Tate #15 of the Detroit Lions sits on the bench late in the second half of a football game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 5, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won the game 13-10. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Lions say they are not sitting around waiting for their cavalry of injured players to return. But the injury bug has certainly taken it’s toll on this team.

Every NFL team has to deal with injuries. And as the grueling season progresses, every player is dealing with some sort of physical ailment at this point of the year. The teams who can survive those kinds of obstacles are the ones that find postseason success.

So far this season, the 3-4 Detroit Lions have not been one of those teams. After winning two of their first three matchups, the Lions have promptly lost three in a row. And now, in what should be a cakewalk of a game, facing an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers’ team on Monday night, the Motor City seems to be pressed into a must-win situation.

But injuries have certainly taken their toll on this Lions’ squad, who have made the postseason twice in the past three seasons under head coach Jim Caldwell. Most notably to players like talented second-year offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder), rookie wide receiver Kenny Golladay (hamstring) and last year’s sack leader, defensive end Kerry Hyder Jr. (knee).

Then you have others like offensive guard T.J. Lang (hip, back) and pass rusher Ziggy Ansah (knee) who have been nursing nagging injuries all year. But Caldwell and the Lions refuse to blame the injury bug for their recent struggles.

"“We have enough guys that can make plays,” Caldwell told the Detroit Free Press. “We don’t wait for the cavalry. We got enough guys that can get it done and we just got to continue to make that happen.”"

Next: Lions road to respectability starts in Green Bay

Obviously, the Detroit Lions would love for all of their injured players to return. It certainly could have made a difference in some of their closer games. But at the end of the day, NFL teams have to overcome injuries to win. So far, the Lions have struggled to do so.

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